No-Win Scenarios
by The Sherlockian Vulcan
Summary: Earth has fallen into chaos, OUR (Organization of Universal Restoration) has command of the planet and Starfleet is too far to help. Anyone who is considered Imperfect is removed from society. We are Imperfects, but we are smarter than most. We will find a way to win because there is no such thing as a no-win scenario. AU Bad summary, good story! Please read! ON HIATUS
1. You Don't Know Who I Am?

I fixed most (maybe all) of the spelling errors! Yay! I wanted to make a story of the bridge crew as kids but still saving the world so this is kind of a mix of STID and them as kids. I hope everyone likes it!

Not mine, never mine, usual disclaimers

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Earth had fallen into chaos. There were riots, fires, fights and a new ominous silence that pervaded the air. Everyone lived in fear of the ax that floated above their necks, ready to fall at any given moment. People rarely left their houses, conducting their work at home so they could avoid the stark reality of the outside world. Earth had fallen into chaos.

OUR (Organization of Universal Restoration) had invaded the planet with no warning, overcoming the few defences left in place as the majority of the Federation's fleet was stationed in the Xanthras system.

Any distress signal that could have been sent would have taken weeks to reach the fleet. By then it would be too late, besides, the ships that had originally attacked were equipped with devices to jam any interplanetary messages that didn't go through OUR first.

OUR's word was now law; they had complete control over the planet and their first order of business had been simple, but brutal. Their leader had developed a way to determine the useful from the useless in his campaign to "reform and restore the galaxy, one planet at a time." If you were handicapped, sickly, not human, had ever been in jail, or had a non-essential job, then you were deemed expendable. The unnecessary people were rounded up, never to be seen again. Anyone who resisted was eliminated immediately and without hesitation.

It was a curse to find yourself an Imperfect in this new world.

The clever people went into hiding, creating new identities and personas once they had heard the specific attributes that made a person Imperfect, knowing that they were now targets in OUR's eyes. The braver ones formed groups that strove to oppose this new power with all that they could. The fearful and the timid latched onto whatever help they could find and clung, if they weren't captured before they found a safe haven.

Everyone who was left was in one of two groups. One group embraced the change and moved to further OUR's cause by joining or supporting the round-up crews or the army that functioned as a police force. The other group feared for their lost friends, family, or siblings, and secretly hoped that help would come while they attempted to live their lives as if nothing had changed.

It wasn't just adults that were judged either; if one of your parents had a non-essential job then you were an Imperfect. If you had ever gone to jail then you were an Imperfect. If you were not smart enough, if you didn't get high enough grades, then you were an Imperfect. If you were not human then you were an Imperfect.

Each of the children that were sitting in the back of the van fell into one or more of these categories. They were Imperfects.

They had been completely silent throughout the entire process of their capture. No cries in fear as the door of the basement they had been hiding in was kicked in, no fight as they had been dragged from their hiding spot, and no tears as their hands had been tied roughly behind their backs where they were sure to chafe the thin wrists.

The men who had captured them had taken the silence for surrender and the quiet in the stuffy van was filled with their confident ramblings. They joked about how they would be rewarded for finding so many children in one go as the vehicle flew down the now deserted highway.

There were only eight adults in the back, separated from the front so that there was almost no contact with the driver and any contact with the separate compartment was through a communicator. Eight men was more than enough to catch and subdue children, but everyone wanted the easy jobs.

The men had profited greatly from their service with OUR, healthy to the point where they were almost chubby, simply ignoring the more gristly until it was right in their faces.  
As the van drove past abandoned buildings and houses along the empty streets, the adults talked about how easy it had been to find and take the kids and how they must be really scared to be so quiet.

The tiny child that had been placed in the back corner chuckled softly when he heard the last bit. The little boy had looked like the weakest of the bunch when the men first found the group of children. He had stayed at the back of the pack, his head bent down in a look of submission so his dirty blond hair flopped forward to hide his face in the shadows where no one could see the smirk that formed on his lips.

No one payed attention to the thin, scraggly kid whose clothes enveloped him, too large for the small body. Thick black goggles covered the boy's eyes, the polished ebony surface reflecting the world around them. The men hadn't bothered to remove them because it wasn't as if this little kid could shoot lasers out of his eyes and the way the boy had stumbled multiple times during the short journey to the inconspicuous black van made it seem like the kid was blind or similarly disabled.

Gradually, the fair-haired child's chuckles grew louder until his laughter filled the back of the van. The laughter was infectious and spread to the rest of the children, the only one not laughing being the Vulcan child that was sitting next to blond.

At first, the adults tried to glare the children into submission, as if the force of their anger could silence the giddy laughter that emanated from the children. It didn't work.  
Just as one of the men opened his mouth to yell at the kids, the blond gasped out through his laughter, "You don't know who I am!" This set off another round of laughter from the children that was even louder than the first.

The blond made a slight gesture with his unbound hands that he then hid to maintain the illusion that he was still at the adults' mercy while the van dropped into a complete and sudden ominous silence.

The ability to escape from handcuffs and other bonds was useful when one was sent to jail so often and the rope had been easy to get out of after they had been all seated in the van, especially because he was in the corner with his hands tied behind his back inserted of in front.

The silence blanketed over the interior of the vehicle and settled over each person, the only sound being the deep rumbling of the van. All of the attention was focused on the once inconspicuous child that had been slouched in the back corner.

"You really don't know who I am?" The boy's question cut through the quiet and prompted all of the children to turn to face the man who had appeared to be the leader, genuine curiosity written on their young, dirty faces.

The leader straightened his spine under the sudden scrutiny and attention of so many pairs of piercing judgemental gazes. His name was Mike and he had only recently been promoted to this new position, unsteady and slightly overconfident, to lead this clean-up crew which would be his first and his last.

With a confidence that he did not truly possess, Mike replied dismissively, "Why would we care who you are? You're just a stupid Imperfect." The smile he received from the blond child sent shivers down the adults' spines. It was a smile full of promise, promise of revenge and pain.

The child rose, unfettered, his commanding presence making him seem stronger and more powerful that he appeared to be. He slowly reached up to grasp the sides of the pitch black goggles to remove them, taking his time and extending the moment as he enjoyed seeing the cruel adults deferring to himself.

For one second there was a complete absence of sound. Cerulean blue eyes that glowed in the darkness of the van sparkled with delight at the resulting expressions. Eyes that blue were in rumors only, they belonged to a shadow man, a ghost, not a child.

"I am James Tiberius Kirk, and you are going to die horrible deaths."

Mike almost laughed in the child's face. There was no way the blond kid in front of him could be the ghost in the rumors. It just wasn't possible.

One of the more oblivious men in the group, a chubby man named Phillip, snickered to himself when he heard the blond child's statement. It was his undoing. In a single move, the blond reached to grab a knife in his boot and threw it with perfect aim.

The knife pierced the soundproofing interior of the van and quiver just beside Philip's rounded cheek. A thin line of red shed crimson tears that slowly slid down the shaking man's face and down his neck. About the same time, the Vulcan child stood and touched Phillip's neck where the man immediately went limp.

Horror filled the men.

None of them would have ever believed that the rumors could have possibly been about this small child, but the strength of his presence and commanding tone of voice were inconsistent with that of a kid. They were characteristic of a man who could do with them what he pleased, and that was a man they feared.

The name James Tiberius Kirk was well known to OUR. He was said to be man of many disguises but was generally known to be tall, strong and very intelligent with hypnotic blue eyes that glowed in the dark. His companion was said to be a creature with super-strength and the ability to see your thoughts with only a glance. They were ghosts; no one had ever seen them and lived long enough to tell the tale in full.

A few weeks ago a group that had been helping OUR round up the other Imperfects had never made it back to the base to deliver the children. When they had gone out to find the missing group, they had found the van pulled over on the side of the road with no one in the driver or passenger seats. There was not a scratch on the car, no sign of a struggle and that only raised more suspicion.

The group had called in saying they had a van full of children so they were expecting to find evidence of an attack that occasionally came from some of the rebellious adult gangs. They had moved to the back and opened the doors cautiously, guns raised. What they had found was nothing like what they expected.

Everyone in the group was tied down to the seats that the Imperfects were normally strapped to for transport. They were all dead save for the leader who, when the doors opened, gasped and croaked out that there had been a blue eyed demon with supernatural speed and intelligence that commanded a creature of superhuman strength and power.

"J-James Tiber-" the man broke off with a wet cough. "Kirk!" he shouted hoarsely, his eyes trying to convey the significance of the name. Not long after, the man's eyes rolled up into his head and he slumped over, dead. Just like the rest of his team.

Finding themselves in a similar situation as the deceased group had and knowing the results of that encounter only served to increase the fear in the men's hearts. They had chosen this job because it was the easiest and was the least dangerous of them all. They chose children as their main targets because they were easier to capture, restrain, and return to the base. These were not normal children. This was not a normal mission.

There were no exclamations or pleas for mercy as Kirk made his statement. The finality in his tone strongly discouraged argument. The men were resigned to their fates, completely deferring to this new authority in the blond child.

"I will make sure you die painfully for what you have done to so many innocent people," Kirk continued, his gaze sharpening as he spoke. "But you will not die tonight."

Each of the men's heads jerked up in surprise at the softly spoken comment. They had all been expecting to be killed almost immediately. After all, they were not very important and wouldn't have much information or any access codes to the complex that would be very helpful.

"Tonight you are going to take us to where you take the rest of the children you capture, and if you do this without hesitation or dispute, your deaths will be less painful. Unfortunately for you, you are going to be dead in the morning."

The unemotional admission that they would be dead by morning was not surprising but the finality still weighed on the adults' hearts. They could either try to be brave, resist until they were forced to give the children the location of the base, or help them now and get less pain later. They were not brave; that was why they were part of OUR in this job, and the leader gave into Kirk's commands.

The driver, who had no knowledge of the situation in the back, drove on oblivious even if he was confused why the leader had ordered him to pull into an unoccupied center to drop off the kids. Meanwhile, Kirk swiftly released the rest of his crew and used the bindings to tie up the adults in the back corner.

All of the children other than Kirk and the Vulcan child began to speak quietly, but animatedly, from their chosen seats, celebrating another victory. Kirk was mostly silent but appeared to be whispering to the Vulcan child, their heads bent closely together as if they were planning their next steps in a plot the adults could not even comprehend.

When the van pulled into the complex and came to a stop in an empty garage Kirk turned his piercing gaze upon the bound men. "You're the leader of this merry band, am I correct?" The fair-haired child said as he faced Mike quickly before cutting away the bindings without an answer. Of course, he was correct and Mike was positioned at the front as the rest of the men were lead out of the van.

The driver never got out of the van, never even looked out the window, so Kirk didn't bother with him. Instead, he told the rest of the children to wait outside and turned to give the Vulcan a look that sent him creeping along the walls, looking for cameras to disable.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this." Kirk spoke, appearing genuinely sorry for their deaths, before slitting each man's throat. Death had lost its grip on him a while back, but he still sent everyone except for the Vulcan, Spock, away when he had to kill. Spock was the only one he really trusted and was his closest companion.

Spock walked over after he had successfully disabled and wiped clean all the footage from their time there, watching impassively as Kirk cleaned off the knife that he always hid in his boot. After all the blood and bodies were gone and the driver was checked, they returned to the main group.

"Okay, first thing we need is to find a safe way in. The best way is through the...?" Kirk trailed off to see if anyone had the same idea that he had had in the van with Spock.

"Air wents?" Chekov, the smallest, youngest and newest addition, asked in his thick Russian accent, earning a wide smile from Kirk.

"Yes! Air vents. We are going to climb through the air vents and into the complex to find more information. Something tells me that this isn't their main base." That was what he had been discussing with Spock on the way there, possibilities of other locations for the main base of operations and how they would gain more info.

"I believe that there is a viable vent in the back right corner of the room roughly 3.6 feet off the ground," Spock stated.

"Perfect," Kirk exclaimed with a smile that made the rest of the group smile as well. Kirk's smiles and laughs were contagious and his attitude always seemed so carefree. Almost no one knew the man underneath the mask, Spock one of only two people still alive today.

It did not take long to wrench the cover to the vent off the wall. Kirk went in first with Spock behind him. They always went together: they were the best team as most of their communication was silent. No one else in the crew could really figure out how it worked.

Only Spock, Kirk and Chekov crawl through the ventilation system, soundlessly observing multiple conversations and discussion, most of which are unimportant. It took a while for Kirk to stumble upon a meeting that was taking place, a huge map in the center of the table.

Bingo, Kirk thought as he watched avidly from his bird's eye view. The meeting seemed to be nearing its conclusion, but Kirk still found the one thing he really wanted. He learned that the base of operations was on a planet named Tarsus IV. Specifics weren't really important because now they had to find a spaceship, pilot it, and somehow find Tarsus IV and land there.

Kirk waited until the room was emptied before he scurried away, afraid any noise he made would be heard and he would not be able to tell the rest of his crew about his discovery. Slowly, he made his way back to the empty garage where Spock, Chekov, and the rest of the crew were waiting.

"You have been in the vents for 12.7 minutes longer than the allotted time. What did you find?" Spock asked as soon as Kirk's golden head popped out of the vent.

"I found what we were looking for, more or less." The answer made everyone in the crew but Spock smile broadly. Spock was the only one that had picked up that this was not going to be as easy as expected.

"Where?" It was only one word, asked so softly it was almost a whisper, but it captured everyone's attention.

"Tarsus IV." No one knew where that was, or how long it would take to get there, but it didn't matter because now they had a goal and they got to go into space.

"Another planet?" One of the kids asked and Kirk nodded in reply.

"Looks like we need a starship," Kirk said as he smiled excitedly. One of the boys in the back, Scotty, whooped loudly at the mention of a starship. It was his dream to have one to tinker with and it fit well with Kirk's dream to forever travel the stars with Spock, who wanted to discover more about the universe. Everyone in the crew had a dream that lay in the stars and now they were going to get them.

The crew was in high spirits as they walked to the nearby woods to find a place to set up camp. They couldn't stay too close, but it was good to monitor the level of activity in the complex and knowing the way people moved around the buildings could be useful information for later.

As the crew entered the tree line, the shadows hiding them from searchers, Kirk dropped back slightly to stand next to Spock.

"We are almost there," Kirk whispered directly into Spock's ear so softly that only the Vulcan's superior hearing could have picked it up. He received a slight nod in reply.

"Indeed," Spock replied quietly, leaning in to the human child and barely moving his lips so it looked like he was merely standing close and not talking. Kirk smiled a small genuine smile and threw his arm around Spock.

After spending so much time together, Spock had grown used to the tactile nature of his illogical human companion. Together, the two walked into the shadowy trees and made their way back to the crew and towards their future in the stars.

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I hope everyone liked it! I have started the second chapter and have ideas for more!

A big thank you to MischievousChaos, Daughter-of-dreams, ChaoticDiamond, Inevitably Insane, The-Awesome-Anonymous, and MusingAIR for helping me improve this chapter so much!

Please review!


	2. The Path We've Chosen

I fixed most (maybe all) of the spelling errors! Yay! This is like a back story/explanation of what was happening from Jim's point of view. It has what happened to Jim before OUR came and how he met the rest of the crew. I hope everyone likes!

Not mine, never mine, usual disclaimers

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They were almost there, almost touching their self-allotted goal, but the path they had taken was long and rough, and full of danger, loss, and hope.

When the whole fiasco had begun, Kirk was enjoying his solitary freedom from his abusive stepfather, Frank. He had tried to stay, but after his older brother, Sam, had left there was no reason to stay. Kirk travelled all over Earth, improving his skill with programming, technology, and engineering.

People liked to hire him because his genius helped him pick up any task rather quickly and his youth and charisma drew customers in. He never stayed in one place very long, never made friends or connections, because he knew that he would be leaving soon to find a new place with new things to learn.

Kirk began to build his own motorcycle from scratch with his newly obtained engineering skills, while he easily hacked any system he could reach. The only ones that could give him trouble were Vulcan codes. He had breached the national security and Starfleet firewalls long ago.

By the time OUR had arrived, Kirk was a master at avoiding attention, especially the authorities. His hacking probably saved his life. He had read the list of things OUR demanded from Starfleet and known that the demands would not be met. Starfleet didn't have the kinds of things OUR was asking for, and had no way of getting them in a timely manner.

In short, they were screwed.

The revelation made Kirk more cautious than he normally was, so he immediately noticed the new police uniforms. That in itself wasn't very alarming, but the sudden brutality of the men was.

The invasion was swift and went largely unnoticed for a long while. Most people turned a blind eye to the cruelty and harshness of the new officers, not able to imagine that it was anything of consequence.

It came as a shock, for most people, when OUR revealed themselves to the world. They took control of all communication and broadcasted a short clip on all stations stating their name and purpose.

Soon after the broadcast, the OUR officers became more prominent and the electronic bulletins began to show only OUR support posters. They urged people to accept the change and to join in the restoration. It looked so innocent that people didn't give them much thought. Some people even joined the cause, wanting to restore the world but not knowing what 'restore' really meant to the group.

Kirk was on his way to Canada when everything went to hell. The months following OUR's first broadcast had let people grow lax. The organization had become part of society - the posters and billboards were commonplace now - so they were not seen as any type of threat.

OUR made the announcement in such a calm, almost happy, voice that very few people immediately understood the true meaning of the transmission. OUR was planning to cleanse the planet by getting rid of all the Imperfects, but what attributes made a person Imperfect was never revealed.

That day they sent out alerts to hundreds of people that they should be ready to be removed in the coming months.

Fear ruled the Earth. Everyone was afraid that their friends, family, and possibly themselves would be considered Imperfect and removed from their lives. Only the people who joined OUR would be exempted from the selection. The result was a massive influx of people requesting to join OUR and their cause.

Some did it to save their families the worry, some did it to appease parents, but most did it to save themselves. Human instinct is to survive; this was a free pass for survival. Most of the smarter people that understood what joining OUR entailed refused to join despite the pleading of their friends and family.

At the time, it was still a mystery as to what made you an Imperfect and some people refused to believe that OUR would ever do anything as vicious and cruel as ripping people away from their family and friends based only on if they were considered an Imperfect by OUR.

Of course, those people were soon proven wrong. The day after OUR informed the world of their momentous plans, the movement began.

People began disappearing from all over. At first it was gradual, only a few people per day spread out over the entire world so that only the family and friends of the taken Imperfects truly noticed.

As time passed, the numbers increased dramatically. It jumped from a few people a day to dozens of people per hour. This jump still did not cause many people worry unless they were directly affected because, spread out over the world as it was, the number taken in one specific area was extraordinarily small.

The jump did, however, allow people to begin to determine what made one an Imperfect. It was now clear that if you had ever been to jail, or were sickly or handicapped, then you were an Imperfect. It was rumored and debated as to whether having a non-essential job made you an Imperfect.

Almost all of the people taken were from high security prisons or were terminally ill patients in hospitals.

In a demented sort of way, the determination process was sound. Get rid of the weak to make room for the strong: brutal, but effective. The process continued without change or rebuke for a year. After all, no one wanted to mess with the huge corporation that OUR embodied.

On the second anniversary of the original announcement, another transmission was broadcasted on all channels. The same calm, almost happy, voice delivered devastating news.

A list of all the attributes that named you an Imperfect were enumerated smoothly and without inflection. Too many people turned to look at each other with horror in their eyes at the realization that they would be removed because they were Imperfects. It only took one of the attributes for you to be named Imperfect.

Then, the speaker announced that any Imperfects that turned themselves in and did not fight would be rewarded. Some people believed it was the truth and turned themselves in, never to be seen again. Some people believed it to be a trap and fought tooth and nail against the officers that came to collect them.

The number of people taken increased to a couple dozen an hour from both large cities and small towns. Still small when considering that it was spread over the Earth, but the increasing numbers worried some.

By this point, only adults had been taken and there were few sane people that were considering opposing a massive organization such as OUR. But the fear that had started to creep in was changing that.

More and more people began to discuss OUR's way of restoring the planet. Earth was beautiful and did not need to be changed, and the attributes that made one Imperfect were biased and stupid; this was the opinion of many even if they did not let it show. The numbers increased gradually and on the third anniversary of the announcement, OUR said something that changed the way of life on Earth forever.

They announced the new additions to the attributes that made you Imperfect. If your parents had a non-essential job then you were an Imperfect. If you had ever gone to jail then you were an Imperfect. If you were not smart enough, if you didn't get high enough grades, then you were an Imperfect. If you were not human then you were an Imperfect.

Children were now being taken from all over the world in droves and suddenly the number of people taken from their previous lives increased exponentially, jumping from 50-60 people an hour to 500-600 people and hour and the numbers only increased.

Now non-humans were snatched away along with people who had a record for getting sick or having allergies and people who were placed in jail for minor misdemeanors.

They were taken without warning and from any place. Some people were simply walking on the sidewalk to be pushed into the back of a van and driven away, never to be seen again.

Kirk had known from the very beginning that children would eventually be part of the process and that he would definitely be an Imperfect. He had gone to jail multiple times and, despite his genius, failed to go to school because he moved so much. He also couldn't account for his parents. Yep, he was definitely an Imperfect.

As soon as he had arrived in Canada he began searching for viable hideouts and started stocking them with food and supplies for the day that he knew would arrive. Two and a half years later, when the announcement came, he was prepared.

He had stocked eighteen hideouts with enough food, water and supplies to last four or more people about three months, depending on how it was all rationed. It was on his way to one of these hideouts from a search for information and supplies that everything really began.

Sure, he and known that OUR's officers were more brutal than they should be and had witnessed some of their smaller cruelties, but he'd been unable to help. After all, he was just a kid; a genius, but still a kid. This time was different.

Most of the time the officers would beat Imperfects that did not come quietly and, although it was unnecessary, it made a demented sense to punish those who didn't follow in an attempt to keep control. This did not make sense in any way, shape or form to Kirk, however. It was unwarranted hatred and it made Kirk's blood boil and his blue eyes blaze.

He had almost made it back to his 15th hideout, his favorite, and had remained unnoticed the entire time, sticking to the shadows and moving without a sound. He had just turned into a dark alley that led to the entrance to his hideout when he stumbled to a stop at the scene before him.

Shrouded in shadow, the dark muffling their cries, lay a Vulcan child and who appeared to be his mother or familial friend with an OUR officer looming over them. Kirk had quickly noticed the pointed ears of the child, who looked to be about thirteen, barely a year older than Kirk.

Green blood streamed from what looked like a broken nose as the injured teen lay on the ground, his mother crouched over him protectively. The woman glanced over at Kirk, her eyes passing over him after a moment to avoid drawing the officer's attention to Kirk.

Defiance burned in her eyes, and there was a strength in the woman that Kirk admired as she stood over her son. The officers arm pulled back to strike her and she did not even try to move away from the blow.

Just before the hit came, Kirk made his move. He knew that the man was about to slap the Vulcan's mom and silently crept up behind the officer and kicked him in the bend of his leg as hard as he could. The man cursed as he fell to the ground, grasping at his chest once he hit the concrete sidewalk.

The woman, who had seen Kirk creeping up from behind, immediately turned to help the hurt Vulcan to his feet and shoved both boys deeper into the darkness of the alley.

"Take care of him!" The woman exclaimed, the desperate plea echoed in her eyes. Kirk nodded in response and took the reluctant Vulcan by the arm, making sure not to touch skin because he knew Vulcans were touch-telepaths, and dragged him towards hideout 15. It was when the two boys had just turn the corner that the sound of a phaser blast was heard along with the crumpling of a body.

It was completely unexpected. Kirk had not known that the officer had a phaser and would use it; if he had, he would have taken it after the man had fallen. But that was not what happened.

Kirk's reaction to the noise was to immediately throw himself and the other boy around the corner to avoid being shot themselves, while the Vulcan's head whipped around to look at the scene behind them.

The Vulcan boy tried to push Kirk out of the way to go to his mother, even though by logic he should know that she was dead. Kirk stopped the other boy by roughly grabbing his wrist and pushing all of his urgency, fear, regret, and determination to the Vulcan through the touch.

The Vulcan child's eyes widened almost imperceptibly and he stopped struggling. Together they waited until they could hear the officer stumble away and call for back up, his leg not allowing him to chase after the two kids.

After they were sure that the man was gone, they crept silently around the corner to be met with the sight of the other boy's mother fallen on the ground. The hit was on her back and would have killed her instantly and painlessly.

Kirk stood back, taking a position near the alley entrance so he could tell when the backup would be coming, and let the injured teen try to reconcile himself to her fate.

The Vulcan seemed smaller as he crouched beside his mother's still body. He briefly touched two fingers to her temple before closing her empty eyes. There were no tears or even silent sobs from the small Vulcan child, he just sat there with his eyes closed in vigil over the body.

Kirk made a silent vow in his head that he would do whatever it took to take care of his new companion, he would do whatever it took to fulfill her final wish. Kirk then walked over to where the other child was crouched and, without touching the Vulcan, projected his anger and sadness at the woman's death, a sense of urgency, and the fear of capture.

The hurt boy opened his eyes and turned his head to blink up at Kirk, the chocolate brown looking lost. Kirk smiled sadly in response and gave the Vulcan's shoulder a quick squeeze because there were no words that he could say that would help him reconcile with the loss quicker or with less pain.

The small Vulcan child seemed to understand and stood. As soon as the other boy was standing on his own two feet, Kirk led the way to hideout 15.

The two of them stayed holed up in hideout 15 for a week, the increased number of officers lurking around discouraging any forays outside. Kirk used the excess time to try and crack the Vulcan's shell and was surprised to find, once he had loosened up, that they had a lot in common.

Through their time together Kirk learned that the other boy's name was Spock and that he was the only half-Vulcan in existence. Kirk was told how Spock had been bullied at school on Earth and on Vulcan. Spock told Kirk about his family and, after some time, told Kirk more about the touch-telepathy and the mind links with his family, explaining how they worked.

In response, Kirk told the tale of his childhood: the reckless schemes, his high level of intelligence that made school useless, the bullying, and the incident involving the car and the cliff. He talked about his absent mother, dead father, and abusive step-father. And Spock listened.

A silent understanding developed between them as time passed. They knew when to push and when to stop, and could have silent conversations by just looking at each other and knowing what that look meant.

Spock had taken to wearing a baseball cap to cover his pointed ears and slanted eyebrows, the only true indications that he was not human, when they went out. It hadn't taken long for Spock to get over the fact that one of the only ways to get supplies would be to steal them.

They were constantly together and were closer than the best of friends before the next incident occurred.

It was about two months after meeting Spock when, as they were moving to hideout 8, they heard shouting in the distance and suddenly found themselves laying side by side on the ground. Rushing past them was a boy, about fifteen years old with brown hair and light hazel eyes.

Lucky for Kirk and Spock, they had landed in the shadows and Spock's cap had not fallen off because a group of officers came running around the corner in pursuit of the escaping boy.

Kirk and Spock huddled together in the darkness as the officers stopped near them, yelling at the brown haired boy.

"You better be back within the week or no one will be able to find your bones!" the lead officer shouted at the swiftly retreating teenager. The boy never stopped running.

"For being a doctor, the kid sure is stupid," one of the men commented as they walked away. There was an outpouring of agreement and rants about how idiotic Imperfects were.

As the men were walking away, Kirk's bright cerulean eyes met Spock's deep brown. They might not be able to save everyone, but they could save the young doctor that Kirk nicknamed Bones.

Bones was the first real addition to their crew and, after only one week, fit in like he had always been there. Together they unanimously decided, not without a lot of complaining from Bones and cajoling from Kirk, that they were going to take down OUR and would build a crew to do just that.

Their search for information lead them around the USA, becoming something of a deadly road trip to Kirk.

The next additions to their crew were an African American girl who was eleven years old that had an aptitude for languages named Nyota. The other was a Scottish boy, also eleven years old, that Kirk nicknamed Scotty. He was obsessed with engineering, more specifically for starships, and had a bottomless pit for a stomach.

They were found while Kirk and Spock were passing through Las Vegas, rather close to each other but not together. Nyota was found running from a life that she was being forced into, while they stumbled upon Scotty stealing the designs for a new warp drive that was to be incorporated into all new starships. Bones had been surprisingly unsurprised when the two of them had been brought back to where the older boy had been watching over their current hideout.

Then came two boys they had found together in a tiny basement in San Francisco that Kirk had stumbled upon when looking for a place to turn into a hideout. One was a little Russian boy, only eight years old, with a surprisingly thick accent and a mathematical genius that rivaled Spock's, named Chekov. The second was an Asian boy called Sulu, who was ten years oldand had in his possession a very sharp sword that he carried everywhere. In light of OUR's actions, Jim, Spock, and Bones all agreed that it could be very useful in their upcoming fights with OUR and their lackeys.

The basement where they had found the final two members of the crew became their base; they found and stocked multiple hideouts in the surrounding area, but the small basement became a home for the odd group of friends.

Together they gathered information and helped rescue other groups of children, though they never added another member to their crew.

Kirk thought that the crew was perfect, especially when Scotty commented that they had the ideal number of people to work on a starship bridge.

They were a seamless team, letting themselves get captured and then torturing the officers that had taken them to gain more information.

It was far too easy to convince the adults that Kirk was weak and submissive. Not one of them bothered to take off his modified goggles, which had the dual purpose of hiding his glowing cerulean eyes and enhancing his sight with the night vision setting. All Scotty's work.

OUR's complex had been a disappointment but the knowledge that it was off-planet saved them a lot of time and resources. The planet Tarsus IV became their new target.

Now all they had to do was find a starship, capture said starship, and pilot it to Tarsus IV, where they would most likely be met with hostility. Then they had to find the base of operations, infiltrate it, find the leader, and destroy said leader. Not hard at all.

Sure, they were almost there, but 'there' was not the end. It was the beginning. This young crew was going to change the world forever. For better or for worse, well, no one knew that.

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The next few chapters will be the other crew members POV's so there will be more in depth stuff.

A big thank you to MischievousChaos, Daughter-of-dreams, ChaoticDiamond, Inevitably Insane, The-Awesome-Anonymous, and MusingAIR for helping me improve this chapter so much!

Please review!


	3. Mirror Image

Here is Spock's life before OUR and when he meets Jim. I hope everyone likes!

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It was difficult to determine whether life was preferable on Vulcan or on Earth. In the beginning, the likelihood of Earth being the chosen planet to call home had a higher probability. Prior to OUR's arrival, it had been rather peaceful and relaxing environment.

Spock had grown used to the rhythm of the new planet and lifestyle surprisingly rapidly. Despite the climate being below average for a Vulcan, Spock admired and prefered the new home that his mother, father, and he shared.

The school that he attended was fascinating, the subjects were intriguing and provided ample mental stimulation. He was no longer teased or bullied for being half-human as he was on Vulcan and, in fact, he was rarely teased by any on Earth for being half-Vulcan, almost none of the humans noticing his more human tendencies or reactions.

The humans had adapted and accepted quicker and more readily than any of the Vulcans were willing to. It was a refreshing change and one that Spock knew could not last long. He had what humans would call 'bad luck' and, despite being raised as a Vulcan and knowing that, logically, there was no such thing as luck, he was inclined to agree.

The years that Spock spent on Earth before OUR's arrival were some of the most memorable in his young life. The years after OUR became settled were some of the most devastating, but also the most important. Unfortunately, OUR was not going to let life be easy for a boy who was half-Vulcan.

OUR arrived approximately 2.7 weeks after Sarek, Spock's father, departed to Vulcan for an important assembly. He was unable to return to Earth due to OUR's complete control over communications and interplanetary travel and the distance was too far for him to be felt within Spock's mind through the familial bond.

When OUR first arrived, Spock had noticed the small changes in the adults around him but the most worrying thing was that his mother had begun to create more barriers around her rampant feelings, blocking off her side of the bond almost completely. The lack of information was irritating but not debilitating.

It was not long before Spock deduced what had occurred and confronted his mother. She had revealed everything to him and lowered all of her mental barriers. As the situation gradually worsened, they began to have telepathic conversations more often as they could not be overheard and only the most observant humans would have been able to notice the silent exchange of words through the familial bond.

The almost non-existent teasing at school worsened as the fear began to settle in. Logic and his mother's insistence caused Spock to remain absent from school and stay at home. It saddened Spock to see the wonderful world become so undetermined and dark, but he pushed the emotion away because he was Vulcan.

The first tangible presence of OUR on the planet was there array of officers that were approximately 38.2% more brutal and temperamental than the previous ones. The new officers were attired in new uniforms with OUR stitched in small letters under what was normally present. The invasion went largely unnoticed, and the people who were observant enough to recognize the change for what it truly was were disregarded.

OUR revealed themselves some time after, when they broadcasted a short clip on all frequencies stating their name and purpose.

The result was shock and surprise around the world as the OUR officers grew more prominent and electronic bulletins began to appear calling for support of OUR. They urged people to accept the change and to join in the restoration of the planet in such a way that appeared innocent and harmless. This successfully convinced some people to join the organization wanting to help, not knowing what 'restore' truly meant to the mysterious OUR.

The announcement was broadcasted approximately 9.7 months after the initial broadcasting and subsequent revelation of OUR to Earth; the previous message had been benign, this message was not.

OUR stated that their plan to 'restore' the Earth would require the elimination of people the organization deemed Imperfect. The Imperfects were to be cleansed from the Earth to 'restore' the planet to its proper state.

Fear ruled the Earth. There was a massive influx of people who joined OUR due to the promise that the people who joined the organization would be exempted from the selection.

Spock knew that they were lies just as he knew that he was an Imperfect.

His mother remained faithfully optimistic even as people who were not human were prosecuted more and more. There was no proven knowledge of the attributes that made one an Imperfect but there was a small measure of non-human's that were taken away because they were deemed Imperfect.

As each day passed, Spock and his mother grew more cautious. The two of them moved into a smaller, less local house in an attempt to hide better from OUR's officers but found it was worse in a small town where people knew you than in a big city, where people passed by without a thought. From the small town they moved into small apartment in Vancouver.

The apartment was strangely silent for the majority of the time, his mother not wanting to believe the situation they were in and constantly attempting to think of a way out. But his mother was strong and tried to be even stronger for him.

Spock could feel the strain through the mental link, her want to keep him safe and happy and her regret that she had not sent him off with his father to escape what was to come.

And come it did. What had started as 4-5 people per day jumped to 12-14 people per hour. While the jump was large, it allowed people to determine some of the attributes that could make you and Imperfect and, when spread out over the entire Earth, the numbers were rather small.

Spock deduced that, from the people who were being taken and had been taken, that if you had ever been to jail or were sickly or handicapped then you were an Imperfect. It was debated whether having a non-essential job factored into the selection and Spock personally believed that being non-human made you an Imperfect.

Logically, the determination process was sound but the brutality, cruelty, and pain associated with the acts were not necessary. Earth was a beautiful planet without the restoration, it was unneeded, but the process had already begun.

On the second anniversary of the original announcement another transmission was broadcasted on all frequencies and channels and the same calm, almost happy, voice delivered devastating news. A list of all the attributes that deemed you an Imperfect were listed smoothly and without inflection. If you had gone to jail, if you were sickly or handicapped and if you had a non-essential job then you were an Imperfect.

His mother had felt relief when being non-human was not listed as an attribute that made on an Imperfect. Spock was still waiting for the attribute to be listed. He knew it would, but he remained quiet for his mother's sake.

Then, the speaker announced that any Imperfect that turned themselves in and did not fight would be rewarded. Some people believed it was the truth and turned themselves in, never to be seen again. Some people believed it to be a trap and valiantly fought against the officers that came to collect them.

The number of people taken increased to about 20-30 people per hour. Still small when considering that it was spread over the Earth, but the increasing numbers were worrisome.

Only adults had been subjected to the selection when the announcement was made and the increase in fear caused some to consider opposing OUR. Some number of people began to discuss OUR's chosen method of restoration and questioned the need for such extreme measures.

The general consensus was that Earth did not need to be changed and that the attributes that made one an Imperfect were biased and illogical, even if most hid their true feelings behind masks due to fear.

The number of people taken increased gradually until, on the third anniversary of the original announcement, OUR delivered the order that would change the way of life on Earth forever.

OUR announced the full list of attributes that would make one an Imperfect. If your parents had a non-essential job then you were an Imperfect. If you had ever gone to jail then you were an Imperfect. If you were not smart enough, if you didn't get high enough grades, then you were an Imperfect. If you were not human then you were an Imperfect.

Spock had known this day would come, but still mourned his mother's loss of hope and the rush of desperation that soon followed. They would soon be leaving the apartment Spock had just come to recognize as a safe haven to attempt to find passage elsewhere. Hiding was his only option.

Children were now being taken from all over the world in droves and suddenly the number of people taken from their previous lives increased exponentially, jumping from 50-60 people an hour to 500-600 people and hour and the numbers only increased.

Spock had known from the very beginning that children would eventually become part of the selection process. It was only logical to include the whole population in the subjugation rather than just the older generations.

Spock had always known he would be an Imperfect. He was, after all, half-Vulcan and half-human and was ridiculed on either planet. But he wished for his mother's sake that he could hide his pointed ears, slanted eyebrows, and green blood better than he could.

The announcement cause an increase in security that resulted in a lack of transportation for Spock and his mother. Spock knew it was only a matter of time before an officer caught him and his mother but illogically hoped that the day would be long in coming.

Even when the day came, Spock felt he had not had enough time. Spock had grown his hair out longer so that it slightly covered the pointed tips of his ear and slanted eyebrows. Unfortunately the day was windy and a sudden gust of wind resulted in the assault on himself.

He was roughly pulled into a dark alley where the darkness would hide their bodies and the shadows would muffle the sound. Spock was punched squarely in the face before he could say a single word, falling to the ground as the officer threw insults at him and then his mother who ran and crouched over him.

There is a blond child at the entrance of the alley, his mother had said through the mind link and the words had not caused any immediate reaction due to the hit. When the words registered, Spock did not reply. To Spock, the boy was not a helper but just another person to watch him suffer or to simply walk on by.

Spock remained laying on the ground in an attempt to regain his full faculties and determine whether his nose was broken or not when he felt a flash of fear and then relief from his mother and heard a body fall to the ground with a cry of pain followed by cursing. The sound in relation to the current protective position of his mother over his own body indicated that the blond boy his mother had mentioned earlier had dispatched the guard.

Not many people would do what he did, Spock's mother said and Spock received an impression of trustworthiness and bravery directed at the blond boy as she carefully pulled Spock back onto his feet and shoved both him and the blond boy with brilliant blue eyes deeper into the darkness of the alley.

I love you, Spock! Go with him and stay safe, Spock's mother ordered urgently through the link. But Spock did not want to leave his mother's side.

"Take care of him!" Spock's mother exclaimed, the desperate plea echoed in her eyes, and the blond grasped his clothed arm and pulled him deeper into the darkness. The other boy was obviously younger than Spock, probably around twelve, but the depths to the cerulean eyes spoke of a knowledge and pain that was meant for the old and weary.

Spock knew that he could have resisted the tug of the young human with his superior strength but he also knew that his mother was correct and that they should vacate the premises as quickly as possible.

It was when the two boys just turn the corner that the sound of a phaser blast was heard along with the crumpling of a body.

It was completely unexpected, but Spock immediately knew that it was his mother as his link with her mind was gone. There had been no pain or horror, only surprise.

After hearing the shot, the blond immediately flung himself and Spock around the corner to avoid getting hit themselves while Spock's head whipped around in an attempt to get a glimpse of the scene that he knew had occurred.

Logically, Spock knew that his mother was dead, the link was gone and the shot had been heard, but still he struggled to return to his mother. He was stopped when the blond roughly grabbed his bare wrist and projected his urgency, fear, regret, and determination to the half-Vulcan through the touch.

Spock's eyes widened almost imperceptibly and stopped struggling. Not many humans could project so accurately or with as much force as the young human that stood beside him. Together they waited until they could hear the officer stumble away and call for back up, his injured leg would not let him chase after the two kids.

After they were sure that the man was gone, they crept silently around the corner to be met with the sight of Spock's mother fallen on the ground. The hit was on her back and would have killed her instantly and painlessly.

Crouching beside his mother's fallen body he gently reached out and touched two fingers to her temple in an attempt to find a connection. When nothing could be found Spock closed her eyes and sat beside the body in a silent vigil.

There were no tears or sobs, his Vulcan control letting him reconcile with his mother's fate much quicker than a human would. Still, his human half grieved inside of him but Spock refused to let let this side show.

He heard the almost non-existent scuffing of shoes upon the ground as the human glided silently over to where he sat. When he felt the anger and sadness at the death of his mother, a sense of urgency, and the fear of capture that the boy accurately projected to him without touch Spock opened his eyes and turned to stare into the deep blue orbs.

Those eyes had seen too much for one so young and the sad smile of understanding the boy gave Spock along with a quick shoulder squeeze was something he shouldn't be able to give. The young human seemed to understand pain and death far better than Spock, despite his youth, and Spock rebelled at the thought even as he stood to follow the other child lead.

Children should not know of pain and death at such young ages, but that was the world they now lived in. OUR had made it that way.

The two of them stayed holed up in hideout 15 for a week, the increased number of officers lurking around discouraging any forays outside. The blond, whose name was Jim, used the excess time to ask Spock a large multitude of questions which Spock first found annoying but soon found that, by responding, Jim would become more relaxed, happy, and in turn tell Spock about his own life.

Over time he relaxed around the human and realized that they had many similarities.

Through their time together Spock told Jim about how, as the only half-Vulcan in existence, he had been bullied at school on Earth and on Vulcan. Spock told Jim about his family and, after some time, told Jim more about the touch-telepathy, explaining how it worked and how the mind links with his family worked.

Spock explained how distance was a factor and therefore he had no hope of contacting his father, who was most likely still on Vulcan. Jim surprised Spock when he question him about mind melds.

They were not common knowledge but Jim explained that his hacking ability had led him to some encrypted files about different species that OUR had on their database. Jim could not hack OUR itself but he could decrypt some of the lesser files in the system.

To explain the meld better, Spock asked Jim if he would let Spock meld with him. It was hard to describe the touching of minds to one who had never done it before. When Jim had given his acceptance, Spock lifted his hand to place his fingers on the psi-points and spoke the ancient words.

"My mind to you mind," my thoughts to your thoughts. The last part was spoken inside of Jim's extraordinarily dynamic mind. It was full of colors and feelings and so very open, but in a strange contradiction there were also small sections blocked off by mental barriers so strong that Spock almost believed that they had been placed there by another. Jim was always one to exceed any expectations.

What surprised Spock the most was how well Jim's mind fit with his own. The compatibility between their minds was astounding and Jim's remarkable ability to quickly articulate thoughts in his head, project emotions and thoughts, and create mental barriers was quite unique for a psi-null human.

These unusual characteristics in one so young fascinated Spock and drew him further in and led Spock to understand and trust the human he now called friend.

In response to Spock's revelation of his childhood and the familial mind links, Jim told his tale of his own childhood, the reckless schemes, his level of intelligence that made school useless, the bullying, and the incident of the car and the cliff. He talked about his absent mother, dead father, and abusive stepfather, and Spock listened.

A silent understanding developed between them as time passed. They knew when to push and knew when to stop and could have silent conversations by just looking at each other and knowing what that look meant.

Spock had taken to wearing a baseball cap to cover his pointed ears and slanted eyebrows, the only true indications that he was not human, when they went out, in addition to growing his hair out longer. It had not taken long for Spock to reconcile himself with the fact that one of the only ways to get supplies would be to steal them.

They were constantly together and were closer than the best of friends before the next incident occurred.

Approximately 2.4 months after first meeting Jim they were traveling to yet another one of Jim's hideouts, hideout 8, when they were both shoved to the ground, laying side by side. Running past them was a boy of fifteen years with brown hair and light hazel eyes and it was he who had pushed himself and Jim to the ground.

It was fortunate that Spock retained his ball cap as a group of guards swiftly rounded the corner following the escaping boy. Jim and Spock had huddled close together as the officers came to a halt near where they were hiding .

"You better be back within the week or no one will be able to find your bones!" the lead officer shouted at the swiftly retreating teenager. The boy never stopped running.

"For being a doctor, the kid sure is stupid," one of the men commented as they walked away. There was an outpouring of agreement and rants about how idiotic Imperfects were.

As the men were walking away, Jim's bright cerulean eyes met Spock's deep brown. They might not be able to save everyone but, by silent agreement, they decided that they would save the young doctor Jim nicknamed Bones.

They later learned that the boy's given name was Leonard McCoy, but Jim insisted on calling their new companion Bones, after the threat Jim had heard that first day.

Leonard was the first real addition to their crew. Together they unanimously decided, not without a lot of complaining from Leonard and a lot of cajoling from Jim, that they were going to take down OUR and that they would build a crew to do just that.

Their search for information lead them around the USA, becoming something of a deadly road trip to Jim.

The next addition to their crew was an eleven year old African American girl named Nyota. She had a high aptitude for languages and was very calm and polite. There was also and eleven year old Scottish boy that Jim nicknamed Scotty. The boy was obsessed with engineering, more specifically for starships, and had a rather large appetite.

They were found while Jim and Spock were passing through Las Vegas. They had no real reason for being there other than Jim's insistence, but it was fortunate that Spock had agreed to accompany Jim, Leonard had refused to travel, as the new additions to the crew were very valuable.

The two other children were located rather close to each other but Nyota was found running from a life that she didn't want while they stumbled upon Scotty stealing the designs for a new warp drive that was to be incorporated into all new starships.

They were very valuable and appeared to be the only copy, so it became apparent that these designs would no longer be used in the new vessels because the crew now held the only copy.

Then came the two boys they had found together in a tiny basement in San Francisco that Jim had stumbled upon when looking for a place to turn into a hideout.

One was a little Russian boy who was only eight years old with a surprisingly thick accent and a mathematical genius that rivaled Spock's own named Chekov and the other was an Asian boy who was ten years old named Sulu who had in his possession a rather sharp sword.

The basement where they had found the final two members of the crew became their base. They found and stocked multiple hideouts surrounding the base, but the base had become almost a home.

Together they gathered information and help rescue other groups of children, though they never added another member to their crew. Jim believed the crew was perfect, even more so when Scotty commented that they had the perfect number of people to work on a starship bridge.

They were a seamless crew, letting themselves get captured and then torturing the officers that had taken them to gain more information.

It had been surprisingly easy to convince the adults that both he and Jim were weak and submissive. Not one of the soldiers bothered to remove Jim's modified goggles or to tie his bonds tighter due to his superior strength as a Vulcan.

The base had been disappointing but the knowledge of the location of the true base of operations was indeed useful. The planet Tarsus IV became their new target.

Their new goals were to find, capture, and pilot a starship through hostile space to the planet Tarsus IV. There they would be, once again, in hostile territory and would attempt to locate and infiltrate OUR's base of operations where they would them try to locate and then destroy OUR's leader.

To say that it would be difficult would be an understatement.

But Spock had faith in Jim's illogical ability to overcome impossible circumstances and in his unique intelligence that allowed him to create plans that seemed impossible, but always worked.

They were almost there, but Spock believed that there were not nearing the end but rather a new beginning. He had always wanted to learn and discover more than he could on a single planet and an 'adventure' in space and now they were to acquire a starship for themselves.

Spock walked with Jim through the trees to where the crew was setting up camp, Jim's arm flung around his neck, and was struck with a sense of belonging. This crew was his family and Jim had made it that way. He had a true home.

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Please review!


	4. Damn Lucky

Sorry it had taken so long! Finals and vacation have delayed my writing a bit but it has been the editing that takes the longest. I'll have the next chapter in a week. Hopefully. I hope everyone like!

Not mine, never mine, usual disclaimers

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_Why can't life just be simple?_ Leonard McCoy grumbled internally as the crew began to set up camp. Life was better in some ways than before, he had friends- a family, really- that he cared for and who cared for him, but now they were supposed to somehow capture and pilot a ship through hostile space to a hostile planet without getting caught.

He was the oldest of the group, almost sixteen years old, but was far from being the leader. Jimmy was the leader of their ragtag crew and Spock has obviously the second. They were always together, a fact that had confused McCoy in the beginning.

He never would have guessed anything like this could have happened just a few months ago. At that time, he had been just another kid that had a strange aptitude for all things medical.

Despite his young age he had been studying to become a doctor, the youngest in all of his classes. Despite what most called a disadvantage, his young age did not hold him back at all. He could think, move, and diagnose quicker than most of the older doctors.

He had been well on his way to getting a true degree in medicine when OUR came and all of his plans went to hell. Unknown to the public, OUR had been recruiting medical practitioners of all kinds and sending them to their various complexes for work. But McCoy had refused the initial offer to work for them in favor of staying with his parents and little sister, Joana, but as time passed the offers turned into veiled threats.

He never mentioned any of it to his family because he didn't want them to worry, but he had known that they would realize something was happening in the end. He had become jittery, jumping at any unexpected sound, and avoided anywhere that wasn't school or home.

When things got worse, McCoy had decided to leave his family in an attempt to keep them safer. OUR's soldiers followed him and he had been chased to Vancouver in their attempts to take him to one of their facilities. Apparently, OUR really needed doctors.

He hadn't really noticed the two kids he had pushed down in his rush to escape the soldiers but the dim memory of glowing blue eyes returned to him when the two approached him with a way to stay under the officers radar. He'd accepted without a second thought.

The twelve year old blond with deep blue eyes was extremely intelligent, cocky, and had almost no self preservation instinct. He was also very, very tactile and that was one of the reasons why McCoy had been confused when he realized that it was a Vulcan child that was Jimmy's companion. They were closer than the closest of friends and could practically read each other's minds, but the most surprising thing was that the half-Vulcan, Spock, was comfortable with Jimmy's touch and was ok touching Jimmy in turn.

Vulcan's were known for being uncomfortable or despising of casual contact, contact at all really, due to their touch-telepathy but either Spock was really good at keeping up a facade of being comfortable with casual contact or the hobgoblin held considerable trust in Jim.

But Spock tensed up whenever McCoy touched him, however casual or brief, and though Spock never told him off it was obvious that Jim, and only Jim, was allowed to touch the Vulcan at all. Apparently, Jimmy had managed to see the Spock behind the Vulcan facade and the trust that had sprung from a deep understanding could not be duplicated.

It took just over a week for McCoy to realize that Jimmy's smiles and laughs were contagious. He was contagious, like a damn disease without the sick part; most of the time. The kid was allergic to almost everything and was lucky he had Spock, who knew almost everything that Jimmy would be allergic to, or else the kid would probably be dead by now.

It was still weird for McCoy to see Spock, the half-Vulcan with a perfect mask of logic, be all friendly with Jimmy. He couldn't put into words the connection they seemed to have but with Jimmy you could tell that Spock was happy. Not just pleased but genuinely happy.

Spock also had the amazing ability to shut Jimmy up when he wanted to. McCoy wished he had that ability. No matter how many times he told Jim that his name was Leonard that kid kept calling him Bones after the threat he had heard the officers make the day he had run into them, literally. Spock, of course, called him by his given name but he was half-Vulcan so it made sense.

McCoy was the first real addition to the crew because, while Spock was a large part of the group, he and Jimmy were a package deal. To have one without the other didn't really make sense and McCoy sometimes wondered what life had been like for them before they had met and what had brought them together in the first place.

Surprisingly, it had taken about a week for McCoy to find his place within the group. Soon after they unanimously decided, after much debate, that they were going to take down OUR and that they were going to build a crew to do just that. Their search for information lead them around the USA, becoming something of a deadly road trip.

The next two additions to the crew were found by Jim and Spock during their trip to Las Vegas. McCoy had remained at the hideout to keep watch and because he really didn't want to try to keep track of a hyperactive Jimmy in the city of crazy, that was Spock's job.

To his surprise they had not gotten into any trouble and had managed to recruit two other kids to their crew. One was an eleven year old African American girl named Nyota. She had an amazing aptitude for languages and loved to taunt Jimmy in languages he didn't know. The girl was a refreshing little ball of spit-fire, she firmly refused to speak about the circumstances of her escape for home, and when she set her mind to something she got it.

The other was an eleven year old Scottish boy that Jim nicknamed Scotty. The boy was obsessed with engineering, specifically for starships, and had a bottomless pit for a stomach. It was no surprise when Jimmy and Scotty became friends and edited the stolen plans for the new warp drive with Spock.

From hushed conversations, McCoy had discovered that the plans were the only ones in existence, that the creator had destroyed all of the copies except for this one before killing himself because he didn't want OUR to have possession of the ingenious plans.

Nyota was a sweet, polite girl but stayed mainly to herself. She talked with everyone and was friends with everyone but she was very private. She was the only person other than himself to notice that Spock's strange exception to almost all of the normal rules for Vulcans was Jim.

Her knowledge of language, and therefore body language, allowed her notice the familiarity in the casual contact and the relaxed nature between them almost immediately. Nyota was also the only person other than McCoy that had knowledge of Vulcans prior to joining the crew.

The young girl had looked quite confused when she had witnessed Jim touch Spock and Spock touch Jim, yet flinch slightly when anyone else came into contact with the half-Vulcan. She had known when she had arrived that Vulcans were touch-telepaths and that they hated casual contact but the contradiction that was Jimmy was the exception to that generality.

There were many times when Nyota looked like she was going to ask Spock or Jim what was going on so he quickly pulled her to the side while Spock and Jim were absorbed in the stolen designs Scotty had brought while Scotty was distracted by his sandwiches.

"I wouldn't ask if I were you," McCoy had whispered softly into her ear. The girl had spun around to face him, both startled and confused.

"Why not?" Nyota had asked, innocence in her gaze. She really didn't understand that Jim was the only exception because he was Jim.

"Because Jim is the only one who can casually touch Spock and you won't get an answer for the questions you want to ask. You and I are going to have to wait until they talk to get some answers 'cause they ain't gunna talk now," McCoy answered in an annoyed tone, his Georgian accent coming out.

The girl nodded and turned away but the questions never left her eyes and McCoy knew that it wouldn't be long before she asked them anyways. McCoy hoped she had better luck than he had, Spock had simply not-glared at him before he had walked over to Jimmy, standing so close that their shoulders touched, both of them quickly being absorbed in their own conversation.

The next additions to the crew were two boys they had found together in a tiny basement in San Francisco. Jimmy had stumbled upon it when he had been looking for a place to turn into a hideout.

One was a little Russian boy who was only eight years old with a surprisingly thick accent and a mathematical genius that rivaled Spock's. The boy was named Chekov he quickly became known for claiming that everything was invented in Russia and for being almost as hyperactive as Jimmy, which had previously seemed impossible.

Chekov's companion and the last addition to their crew was a ten year old Asian boy named Sulu who had in his possession a very sharp sword.

The basement where they had found the final two members of the crew became their base and they began finding and stocking it with plenty of supplies. They also had alternate hideouts that could be used in emergencies, all of them surrounding the base and all of the fully stocked. The basement became an almost home for the young, ragtag group of misfits.

Jimmy thought that the crew was perfect, especially when Scotty commented that they had the ideal number of people to work on a starship bridge. Together they gathered information and helped rescue other groups of children, though they never added another member to their crew.

Jim constantly dreamed of space and the stars and Spock was perfectly content to accompany him so that the Vulcan could discover, explore, and examine more of deep space.

They were a seamless team, letting themselves get captured and then letting Jimmy and Spock spend some time alone with the officers. They always came back with information and while McCoy knew that Jimmy probably tortured and killed the officers he could find no real fault in it.

The world was in chaos because of OUR and adding James Tiberius Kirk to the mix could only stoke the fire. Soon it would be Tarsus IV that would burn.

All they had to do was find a starship, capture said starship, and pilot said starship to Tarsus IV where they would most likely be met with hostility. Then they had to find the base of operations, infiltrate it, find the leader and destroy said leader. What could possibly go wrong?

Most of Jim's ludicrous plans were only made possible due to Spock's logic and caution, they balanced each other out so well that the two of them made it look easy to follow them into insanity. They were the dynamic duo, the rumored demons, and they were going to destroy OUR or at least cause enough destruction to weaken them for someone else. Leonard had complete faith in the two's ability to overcome any challenge, even more so because Jimmy disbelieved in no-win scenarios.

Looking around at the smiling faces of the crew as they were filled with their new information and victory, he wondered what would happen when the hard choices came. Jimmy and Spock had been doing a great job at protecting the other members of the crew, barely harming the officers in front of the other children only to kill OUR's soldiers once they were out of sight. Spock and Jim kept that weight on their own shoulders but one day they wouldn't be able to hide.

McCoy was the first one to notice Spock and Jimmy walk through the trees and into the clearing, Jim's arm thrown around Spock's shoulders and Jim leaning close to speak directly into Spock's pointed ear.

McCoy could almost see the tangible strong that connected the two and almost wished that he understood the connection between them but he could understand that it was between only the two of them and left it that way.

A quite cheer rose as the two were noticed by the rest of the crew and soon the food was distributed, the tents pitched, and everyone but Jim and Spock had settled down for the night.

_Why can't life just be simple?_ McCoy asked himself as he watched the silent silhouettes of the two children sitting on the hilltop staring up at the stars.

He shook his head as crawled back inside the tent he shared with Scotty and got comfortable. Life was simple, it was tough, and that is what made it seem complex. The young doctor was damn lucky he found this group, this family, and this chance to make a difference.

McCoy pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as he closed his eyes and let himself be pulled into the depths of sleep.

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I only had one beta for this chapter so there might be more mistakes than usual.

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	5. Coincidence?

Not mine, never mine, usual disclaimers

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Despite the recent victory, Nyota Uhura found sleep evasive. Her mind kept wandering back to when this all began, before she had been rescued, before she found her true family. The feeling now was the same as the one before, the sense of being on the edge of something new and exciting, and the memories from her past rose before her.

"Baadhi ya hatari ni si thamani ya malipo", her mother had always said: "Some risks are not worth the reward". While it is good to be cautious, the death of Nyota's father when she was only three caused her mother to be overly cautious with her only child.

Learning languages other than Swahili or Standard was forbidden at an early age when Nyota had attempted to learn Klingon. Her mother had been very angry when Nyota had told her with complete confidence that she was going to become a Starfleet communications officer just like her father. Travel was likewise forbidden.

Nyota understood part of why her mother did not want her to learn other languages or travel. Her father had died while on a newly discovered planet, a simple miscommunication ruining the mission, and her mother did not want the same to happen to her. But Nyota yearned to travel, explore, and learn languages like her father had.

So while her mother dressed her up in brightly colored dresses and braided her hair with ribbon like a doll, Nyota dreamed of the worlds beyond home.

Nyota had secretly begun learning languages from other planets, picking them up with a surprising ease, and had mastered her fourth one when OUR arrived. She had been learning the languages by listening in on different frequencies and had heard the tail end of OUR's requests of Starfleet.

She had immediately dismissed the idea of any force invading Earth, she had no idea Starfleet was not able to meet the demands or that the majority of the fleet was too far away to help. What she had noticed was the brutality of the new officers and the small, neatly stitched letters OUR under the tradition crests.

At the time it didn't really mean anything other than caution was used in larger quantities. Nyota had completely forgotten about the end of the message she had heard and continued to teach herself other dialects for almost a year in complete peace.

A couple of months after she had picked up OUR's demands the corporation formally announce themselves to Earth. Through a planet wide transmission on every frequency they broadcasted a short message stating their name and purpose.

The message itself was not alarming, even though it surprised the majority of the world, but after the transmission the new officers became more prominent. That was when Nyota figured out why OUR was stitched on some of the officers uniforms.

Nothing really changed until, almost ten months later, OUR announced their next steps in their plan of 'restoration'. In order to save the Earth they were going to cleanse it of all who were considered Imperfect.

Nyota, along with her mother and the rest of her neighborhood, retained the belief that OUR would never do something so drastic or brutal. They were soon proved wrong.

The sense of danger and fear didn't really set in until children were included in the selection three years after the original announcement. Nyota knew that she was an Imperfect and, to save her mother of the pain of being taken and to escape her mothers overly cautions ways, she hitched a ride to Las Vegas.

She made a new life for herself, her aptitude for multiple dialects earning her different positions that allowed her to begin to follow her dream. As OUR grew more prominent and more powerful, Nyota had to switch jobs often to avoid notice. Unfortunately, it's wasn't long before she could not find any jobs at all and was living off of the food and water she had saved for the circumstances.

Just a few days after Nyota had begun living off of her storage, she was approached by a twelve year old blond that introduced himself as James Tiberius Kirk. He was extremely intelligent, cocky, and had the brilliant idea to take down OUR. Normally, she would have dismissed him as crazy but there was an air of confidence and command about him that made her curious.

What was even more strange was Kirk's companion, a half-Vulcan named Spock that was only a year older than Kirk. Spock had grown out his black hair and wore a navy blue ball-cap to cover his pointed ears and slanted eyebrows but Nyota still recognized him as Vulcan because no human walked that straight or could stand that still.

It was intriguing that a Vulcan, renowned for their unparalleled logic, would not only be the blond's companion in the ridiculous enterprise but be friendly towards the tactile human. Vulcan's were known for being uncomfortable or despising casual contact, or contact at all, due to their touch-telepathy but Kirk seemed to be the one exception for Spock.

Seeking the safety and companionship that her family and current path could not provide, Nyota joined the curious crew along with an engineer wannabe that Kirk dubbed Scotty.

She kept mainly to herself, being the only girl in the group, in favor of observing the crew, watching their habits and wondering how they would work together in the long run. She was surprised to learn that Kirk and Spock were a package deal and that, despite Leonard being the oldest at almost sixteen years old, Kirk was the undisputed leader of the crew with Spock by his side.

Nyota quickly learned that Kirk's self-preservation instinct was practically non-existent and, while he was undoubtably a genius, he went mainly on instinct that was tempered by Spock's logic and Leonard's caution. It was no surprise when Scotty and Kirk hit it off, they were both people with crazy schemes and a near single-minded focus on their goals. Spock, Kirk, and Scotty spent a lot if time looking over and improving the already revolutionary warp drive design.

Scotty had been stealing the only copy in existence when Kirk had just happened to stumble upon him and invited him into the crew. With no home, the Scotsman had readily agreed to Kirk's offer and had immediately fit into the ragtag group of children.

Whenever they weren't discussing the warp designs with Scotty, Kirk and Spock were undoubtably together. They were closer than the closest of friends and could practically read each other's minds, but the most surprising thing was that Spock was completely comfortable with Kirk's touch and was ok touching Kirk in turn but flinched away from others.

Apparently, Kirk and Spock had a deep connection that had sprung from a deep understanding and trust that could not be duplicated.

Spock was largely private and spent the majority of his time with Kirk and others or alone. He rarely conversed with others when not in Kirk's company, only occasionally speaking with Leonard about medical supplies or Kirk.

Spock also had the amazing ability to shut Kirk up when he wanted to. Nyota sometimes wished she had that ability. The blond was constantly moving and seemed to have a never ending supply if energy and ideas and the only things that could focus Kirk were Spock and dangerous situations.

Kirk was Spock's polar opposite, engaging everyone in conversation and activities so that no one was ever left out. Kirk's deep blue eyes glowed and his bright smiles, genuine laughter, and warm hugs were contagious and drew the crew closer together. Even Spock's impenetrable mask of logic slipped for a moment with each of the blond human's expressions of affection.

The almost tangible connection between the human and half-Vulcan made Nyota wonder what had brought the two together and what their lives had been like before they knew each other. The idea was unimaginable for the inseparable pair.

Nyota's knowledge of language, and therefor body language, had led her to notice that there was more than just camaraderie in the casual contact and the relaxed nature of them almost immediately. Nyota was the only person other than Leonard that had knowledge of Vulcans prior to joining the crew and notice how Kirk was always the only exception for all of the normal rules for Vulcans.

The first time Nyota had seen Kirk casually touch Spock without him flinching like he did with Leonard had confused her. She had known when she had arrived that Vulcans were touch-telepaths and that they hated casual contact but the exception that was Kirk contradicted that.

There were many times when Nyota had almost asked Spock or Kirk what was going on and had been contemplating that very idea when Leonard had pulled her over to the side while Spock and Kirk had been absorbed in the stolen designs while Scotty put another sandwich into the bottomless put that was his stomach.

"I wouldn't ask if I were you," Leonard had whispered softly into her ear. Nyota had spun around to face him, both startled and confused.

"Why not?" She had asked, innocence in her gaze. She really didn't understand that Kirk was the only exception because he was Kirk.

"Because Jim is the only one who can touch Spock and you won't get an answer for the questions you wan to ask. You and I are going to have to wait until they talk to get some answers 'cause they ain't gunna talk now," McCoy answered in an annoyed tone, his Southern accent coming out.

Nyota had nodded and turned away but the questions never left her. Unfortunately, when she had approached Spock about the subject he had merely replied that it had been logical and had ignored any further questions in favor of speaking with Kirk.

She now understood, like Leonard, that the connection was between only the two of them and left it that way.

It had been Leonard, Kirk, and Spock that had officially decided to recruit people and build a crew to take down OUR. Leonard the first addition (Spock didn't count as the first because he and Kirk were practically one person), Nyota and Scotty being second and third, and the last two boys that were found in a basement in San Fransisco some time later.

Their search for information lead them around the USA, becoming something of a deadly road trip to Kirk, and the data trail had led them to San Francisco where it became untraceable.

The two boys that were found in the dusty basement were Chekov and Sulu. Kirk had stumbled upon them while looking for a viable hideout and had quickly recruited the two.

Chekov was a little Russian boy with a surprisingly thick accent and a mathematical genius that rivaled Spock's despite being only eight years old. He quickly became known for claiming that everything was invented in Russia and for being almost as hyper-active as Kirk, which was very, very hard to do.

Chekov's companion and the last addition to their crew was a ten year old Asian boy named Sulu who had in his possession a very sharp sword, the story behind which was never told.

The basement where they had found the final two members of the crew became their base and they began finding and stocking it with plenty of supplies. They also had alternate hideouts that could be used in emergencies, all of them surrounding the base and all of the fully stocked. The basement became an almost home for the young, ragtag group of misfits.

Kirk thought the crew was perfect, especially when Scotty commented that they had the ideal number of people to work on a starship bridge. It perfectly fit each if their dreams of exploration in the stars and their new mission to pilot a starship to Tarsus IV and demolish OUR. Coincidence much?

Life now was so perfect, everyone helping to rescue other groups of children, though they never added another member to their crew.

They were a seamless team, letting themselves get captured and then letting Kirk and Spock spend some time alone with the officers. They always came back with information and, while it was odd that it was just the two if them, it was never commented on.

Kirk always had his insane plans that only really worked in the end because Spock was there to make sure the blond used some logic and caution. They were the dynamic duo, the rumored demons, the ghosts and they were going to destroy OUR or at least weak havoc on the now infamous company.

Staring up at the top of her very own tent, she wondered what would happen what the try challenges came and then dismissed the thought. There was no way to prepare for the unknown, but they would be ready for whatever came their way.

With dreams of an Earth free of OUR's oppression, Nyota finally found sleep and let it wrap her in its arms and carry her away.

In the tent he shared with Bones, Scotty slept peacefully and was completely unaware of the unease the others around him harbored.

No memories of his past haunted him, nor questions if the future. Scotty had never been to attached to his previous life and the fantastic change in circumstances and opportunity, happy coincidences, was not something he was willing to question.

He was simply happy that he had found a family, friends, and a place where his talents could be of use. He knew that, whatever came, that would fight the enemy to the end and having a leader that did not believe in no-win scenarios along with the master of logic would make it very hard for them to lose. United they were invincible and immortal.

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	6. Now We Have A Crew

This story is not abandoned, just being processed! I stink at writing action scenes and the next one (I'm hoping) will have a lot of it. I am completely done with everyone background now and am moving onto the part where they do stuff.

Not mine, never mine, usual disclaimers

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Hikaru Sulu missed Kenser.

The sudden sense of loss hit him hard just as he had been getting himself into the tent he shared with Pavel to sleep. The golden retriever had been far past his prime, but fiercely loyal and a precious companion. It had come as a shock to find the dog and his parents gone, taken by OUR's lackies because of the attributes that made them Imperfects. Kenser, apparently, had just been a nuisance that needed to be eliminated.

In an instant, everything he had known was ripped away from him so he was left, orphaned, to live with his closest friend, Pavel Chekov. The two of them had been friends since they were babies, Sulu being the older brother that Pavel wished he had and Pavel being the sibling that Sulu never had. After moving into his friends house, Sulu had made it his mission to protect the young Russian kid from the cruelty of the outside world.

That's why, when children were included in the prosecution, Sulu had already found an unused and dusty basement to hide out in. It had been pure luck and chance that Jim and Spock had stumbled upon the two of them in their darkest hour, becoming the light that the two needed to erase the shadows. It had been no question on whether or not to join, it had been how much do we need to do.

What had started off as an easier route for survival and now was so much more. Now Jim and Spock were concocting yet another brilliantly insane scheme, this time to steal a starship and become pirates to travel to Tarsus IV. Space travel was something that Sulu and Pavel had dreamed about, acting as pilot and navigator into the unknown of deep space, but had never imagined that their chance would come so soon and under such stressful circumstances.

Now the two friends were planning on leaving Earth and it was like leaving behind the memories of his parents and missing dog and the pain of the losses returned. Sulu didn't like to think about his past much, he hated the feeling of pain and darkness that was always curled around the memories of his mother, father, Kenser and the life he had to leave behind, because no matter how happy he and his family had been in the memory it brought back the pain of their loss once again. His eyes glittered with unshed tears as the boy turned to Pavel, who was already sleeping peacefully in his blankets.

The little Russian kid looked so peaceful and innocent when he slept, completely relaxed with a small smile on his face. It was that face that Sulu was doing this for and the pain was lessened. He no longer had to go through life alone, he had Jim, Spock, Scotty, Bones, and Nyota to help him protect Pavel, as he had become the honorary little brother for them all.

They were the perfect team with Jim and Spock at the head. The two were opposites in almost every way but they balanced each other out so completely that they fit together like two puzzle pieces. Jim had the insanity that come from lack of planning and jumping without looking while Spock was the undisputed master of logic and gave plans structure and brought the caution that Jim did not seem to have. It was amazing to see them work together, they barely had to verbalized thoughts and could practically read each other's minds.

Nyota was sweet and kept watch over Pavel with Sulu when she could. Sulu liked spending time with her and her knowledge of alien languages was unparalleled by anyone else in the crew. Scotty, on the other hand, spent all of his time pouring over the warp dive designs he had stolen either by himself or with Spock and Jim. He was an engineering genius, continually improving the already revolutionary design, had an amazing sense of humor when you could pull him away from his work, and was known for having a bottomless pit for a stomach.

Bones's real name was Leonard but only Spock called him that because Jim was constantly calling the older boy 'Bones' and it stuck with the rest of the crew. At almost sixteen, Bones was the oldest of them all but Jim was obviously the leader of the motley crew. Bones was very cynical about the whole situation and was always getting onto Jim and Spock for their insane ideas and plans that would get either one or both of them injured in some way. Luckily for Jim and Spock Bones was studying to be a doctor. Not so lucky was that Bones was a menace with a hypo.

Sulu was happy that Pavel had bonded so much with the rest of the crew; everyone immediately falling in love with the bouncing curls and constant smile that was the joy and innocence only a child could have. Each person went out of their way to make sure that Pavel's remaining innocence remained intact, making sure that the smile remained on his face.

Jim had convinced Spock to teach Pavel more about math and had found that the little Russian had a mathematical genius that rivaled Spock's own. Jim had laughed and commented on how surprised the half-Vulcan looked, only Jim was able to tell Spock's emotions, and how that, with time, Pavel could be better than Spock. Spock, of course, had replied that it would be logical to improve Pavel's knowledge of math but that it would be unlikely that the Russian could ever best him. Pavel loved the challenge.

All of them had become closer and closer with each success and each failure. They were friends but it was more than that. They were, in every aspect but by blood, a family. They bickered, joked, laughed, and cried together but, most importantly, they cared for each other and would never leave another behind.

Hikaru Sulu missed Kenser, but now he had a family again.

o~*+*~o

Pavel Chekov would miss Earth.

He was the youngest, only eight years old and the baby of the group, but he still understood what was going on. Chekov understood that OUR had invaded and had ruined the worlds way of life. Chekov understood that OUR needed to be taken down because what they were doing was not restoring the world but destroying it. Chekov understood that, with Jim and Spock leading the rest of them, they could do at least a little damage to OUR. Chekov understood that they would be going on an extremely risky endeavor with little chance of victory in an effort to hurt OUR and that they were going to either succeed or die trying.

Dying for a cause was not something that Chekov completely understood, but he was completely willing to put his life in Jim and Spock's hands. They were an incredible team, able to do what most would consider impossible, and fit together so well they could practically read each other's minds. The two of them knew each other's strengths and weaknesses like their own and could balance each other and support each other by just a look or a touch. Jim and Spock knew the crew and each persons ability and were able to apply the best person to each task. Together, there was nothing they could not do.

Even Chekov could tell that there was something more between Jim and Spock than between anybody else. It was like they were connected by something other than friendship or brotherhood. Their bond was deeper than that and it had no name and no one knew how it came to be. The only thing everyone knew was that Jim was the exception to all of Spock's more Vulcan rules while Jim trusted Spock so completely that it was incredible they only met a few months ago.

Now they were planning on commandeering a starship to a hostile planet, through hostile space, all on their own. The idea was terrifyingly exhilarating. Space had always been his and Hikaru Sulu's dream, him as navigator and 'Karu as pilot, and now it was becoming a reality.

Chekov had known Hikaru, or 'Karu as he called him, since they were babies and were very close friends, spending all of their time in each other's company. They went to school together and could have skipped at least a couple of grades to get to the level they needed to be at but instead skipped school to teach themselves what they thought they would need in the future.

'Karu had quickly developed an interest in botany and flight while Chekov fell in love with numbers. Their combined interests brought them joy and trouble, doing calculations for improbable stunts that 'Karu would them attempt. OUR's arrival had brought their fun to an abrupt stop as fear and OUR's brutal officers came into the equation.

It was Chekov that 'Karu went to when his parents had been taken by OUR and his dog, Kenser, disappeared. At the time, Chekov had been lucky that his parents hadn't yet been taken, as they were considered non-essential members of society like Hikaru's parents had been, and when kids were added to the selection process it had been 'Karu that led a shell-shocked Chekov away to a dusty, abandoned basement where they could hide out to save Chekov the further pain of losing his parents.

Chekov knew this and was grateful for 'Karu's support and constant presence in the bleakness that had been their lives. They spent quite a while in the basement, all alone and spending most of their time in the darkness as they held each other so for comfort and protection. It was just when they had begun running out of food and were debating the risk of going up above to steal more when Jim and Spock arrived.

It was a perfect coincidence in timing and Chekov and 'Karu had immediately agreed to join the crew and fight against OUR, despite their young age being a disadvantage for most. Spock and Jim had immediately recognized Chekov's aptitude for number and math and 'Karu's interest in flight and had proceed to incorporate them into their various schemes.

'Karu and him stuck close together, claiming a tent to share with each other, but just as 'Karu became close friends with Jim and Nyota and soon found his place in the crew, Chekov found his own niche and made friends as well. However, nothing could break him apart from 'Karu, his longest and closest friend.

Chekov's smaller size, Jim decided despite Spock's protests, made him a prime candidate to go vent-crawling with the two of them. Chekov decided that it was a great honor to be able to crawl through the dust filled ventilation systems with Jim and Spock. Eventually Spock conceded to Chekov crawling around in the vents, but only after he succeeded in beating Jim in a race through the same system of vents and after admonishing Jim for being so reckless.

Bones was the oldest, most protective, of the bunch but he didn't like to show it. He loved tormenting Jim, and occasionally Spock, with the threat of hypos and yelling at Jim whenever he did something stupid or reckless or both. Unfortunately for Bones, that happened very, very often. Fortunately and probably because of Spock, Jim was rarely seriously hurt, or hurt at all, by his insane stunts and was able to bounce back within a day or two to continue terrorizing OUR and giving Bones heart attacks.

Nyota was very nice to him and was the one he usually spent time with when 'Karu was doing work with Scotty, mostly talking about starships and flight capabilities. What Chekov loved the most was that Nyota was learning languages and Russian was one of the ones she had already learned. They spent hours talking in his native language about inconsequential things and Chekov would help her with her accent. It was like a little taste from a home that Chekov would likely not return to but, oddly enough, didn't miss much.

Scotty, Chekov quickly decided, was crazy. He would probably be called the craziest of them all if Jim wasn't so insanely brilliant and Spock didn't help Jim with his schemes. Scotty was a different brand of crazy, completely obsessed with starships, the warp engines that drove them and, of all things, sandwiches.

For days on end Scotty would pour over the new warp designs he had stolen, modifying and improving them, either by himself or with Jim and Spock. Somewhere along the way he managed to scrounge up a replicator and reprogram it to everyone's favorites along with multiple types of sub sandwiches. They were, as Scotty professed, the best sandwiches for working as you could hold one with one hand. It was then that Chekov altered his opinion of Scotty from crazy to brilliantly crazy.

It made Chekov very happy whenever he could help any of the other crew members, whether it be crawling through the vents with Jim and Spock to helping Scotty with quick warp calculations that evaded Scotty. They were all so caring and close and, despite how Spock and Jim would often sneak off to create the basis of their ingenious plans, the entire crew was included in each plan. Everyone was given a role that was played perfectly.

Now cam the biggest show of all, hopefully the one that would take them into space. Chekov couldn't wait to reach out and touch the stars with his new family because that is what they had become. Jim, Spock, Bones, Nyota, Scotty, and 'Karu

Pavel Chekov would miss Earth, but space was the final frontier to be explored.

o~*+*~o

There were no clouds in the sky when the crew awoke in the morning to the soft chirping of the birds and the smell of Kirk and Spock making breakfast. Each child slowly rose from their respective tents and made their way to the small campfire that had been rebuilt and grabbed the bowl that was offered to them.

Almost no one spoke as they sat around the fire for breakfast due to the previous nights contemplations or drowsiness that clung to the mind. For the most part, each of the children remained in their own little world until the meal was completed and the dishes were cleaned but there was one thing that the crew all noticed.

A very devious grin rested on James Tiberius Kirk's young face and his bright blue eyes sparkled with delight of a perfectly planned scheme. That face could either mean something very good or very, very bad.

The crew settled back down around the fire, all completely alert at notice of the growing smirk on Kirk's face, while the anticipation rose around them. Once everyone's attention was solely focused on himself, Kirk turned to Spock who nodded in return. No one knew what it meant but then Kirk was standing tall, preparing to announce the plan that he and Spock had spent all night discussing and perfecting.

"Lady and gentlemen, are you ready to get ourselves a starship?"

The resounding yes he received in reply made Kirk laugh in delight. All at once, everyone was asking questions about how, when, where, and, from Bones, how many hypos he needed to prepare. That last one made Kirk laughter harder, though he gave no reply. He simply waited for his crew to fall silent on their own and hear the brilliant plans that were so recently created.

Once everything settled down, Spock and Kirk began to weave a fascinating tale of daring, strength, and courage that began with the stealing of a starship that they would soon be sailing away through the stars.

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Next chapter they get a ship, I promise.

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